Gauze weave mechanism for looms



June 14, 1966 E. WALL 3,255,783

GAUZE WEAVE MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed Feb. 5, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor.

Erich Wall BY F "M WILW,MQAW

ATTORNEYS June 14, 1966 E. WALL 3,255,783

GAUZE WEAVE MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed Feb. 5, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 E. WALL GAUZE WEAVE MECHANISM FOR LOOMS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ERICH WALL ATTORNEYS June 14, 1966 Filed Feb. 5, 1963 United States Patent 3,255,783 GAUZE WEAVE MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Erich Wall, Winterthur, Switzerland, assignor to Sulzer Freres, Societe Anonyme, Winterthur, Switzerland, a Swiss company Filed Feb. 5, 1963, Ser. No. 256,287 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Feb. 8, 1962, 1,518/ 62 4 Claims. (Cl. 139-50) This invention relates to a gauze weave mechanism for looms, comprising at least two standard healds carried on adjacent shafts and at least one half heald or doup which is engaged therein and which is subject to the action of a force-storage means and Which is movable by a gauze weave yoke which is connected to the doup and which .is subjected to the action of the said shafts. Two such standard healds and the associated half heald or doup are termed a standard and doup, the shafts which carry the standard healds are termed standard healds shafts, and the shaft (or shafts) usually provided to carry the doups is (or are) termed the doup shaf (or doup shafts).

According to the invention, in such a mechanism tension means connecting the gauze weave yoke to the force-storage means passes between the standard heald shafts.

The gauze weave yoke may then be of a very simple form. For example, it may consist of a single transverse member. The doup shaft may consist of a single shaft disposed between two standard heald shafts. If desired, however, there may be two doup shafts; in either case, the doup shaft is disposed between two standard healds. The doup shaft or shafts take up very little space, so that the distances between the standard heald shafts--which should be as small as possible for technical reasons associated with weaving-heed not be increased by the doup.

The invention enables use to be made of standard heald frames with fixed intermediate struts. The two longitudinal members of a standard heald frame are often connected together by the intermediate struts (i.e. struts between the two end connecting struts). With uch a standard and doup, therefore, these intermediate struts need not be detachable from the standard heald frame. The standards and doups can be supplied as units ready for threading onto the heald shafts, which enables this operation to be performed without difficulty. During this operation a standard and doup composed of three parts has to be fitted onto the standard heald shafts and on to the doup shaft. When the doup shaft is disposed between the standard heald shafts in accordance with the invention, the standards and doups consisting of the three parts can be threaded simultaneously onto the standard heald shaft and on to the doup shaft. The standards and doups can be pushed past the intermediate struts of the standard heald frames until they are in their correct position. The doups do not need to be suspended with their suspension eyes outside the planes containing the standard heald shafts. Accordingly, gauze weaves can be made with ordinary heald frames having fixed intermediate struts.

In one form of the invention the gauze weave yoke is a double hook, each book end of which projects into the path of motion of a standard heald shaft. The standard heald shafts make a very secure engagement with the hook while they keep the doup shaft and the doups in motion.

In one form of the invention the tension means consist of a band, e.'g. a synthetic plastic band, to which the doup shaft and the gauze weave yoke are fixed. The double hook advantageously also consists of synthetic plastic, for example, a polyamide such a nylon. The loom is then quieter in operation since the repeated striking of the standard heald shafts on the double hook is relatively quiet. The synthetic plastic band does not produce any noise either, when it strikes the standard heald frames or their shafts.

In one form of the invention three parallel plates are fastened to the free ends of the band, which plates receive the double hook via corresponding openings, the two outer plates having fingers which press against one another resiliently and which are narrower than the plates themselves while the middle plate is shorter than the outer plates and leaves between the fingers a space for the insertion of the doup shaft, in which space the doup shaft is retained by retaining means on the. fingers. In this way the doup shaft can easily be inserted and has a secure support. Since the outer retaining plates have narrow fingers, the doup shaft fastening occupies relatively little space so that the row of doups can be arranged practically with uniform spacing.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of a complete loom shown in a generalized form for explanatory purposes;

FIGURE 2 shows a standard heald frame of the loom and its drive;

FIGURE 3 shows the heald frame guide system;

FIGURE 4 is a section through a part of the gauze weave mechanism;

FIGURE 6 is a front view of the parts shown in FIG- URE 5.

The loom shown in FIGURE 1 operates on the gripper shuttle principle, i.e., after each pick the weft thread is cut off on the picking side and its ends are tucked in to form selvedges. The loom comprises two side frames 1 and 2 between which are disposed: a warp beam (not shown), a cloth beam consisting of two parts 3, 18 with two webs 4, 19 of cloth wound thereon, guide and tensioning means (not shown) for the warp and cloth, and a main drive shaft 5 for the loom with a clutch and brake assembly 6 and a motor 7.

FIGURE 1 also shows a reed 8 for beating up the weft 10 and standard heald frames 9 for forming the shed. The heald frames are guided in guides 22, and can move up and down therein. A spring housing 23 to be explained hereinbelow is provided 'at each guide.

The weft thread 10, drawn from a bobbin 11, is gripped by a gripper shuttle 12 for insertion into the shed, the shuttle being picked by a picking mechanism 13 through a shuttle guide 14 to a catching mechanism 15. At the sides of the warp near the mechanisms 13, 15 selvedge forming devices 16 are provided to center the weft thread 10, clamp it fast-on the picking side cut it, and tuck in its ends after the change of shed, to form the selvedges.

At the fell of the cloth, the cloth is divided into the two webs 4, 19 by a combined severing and selvedgeforming device 21. The latter is slidable along, and lockable on, a rod 20.

One of the standard heald frames 9 is shown in FIG. 2, together with the doup shaft 71 of a half heald or doup. The heald frame 9 comprises longitudinal members 41 and 42'rigidly connected by end struts 43, and standard heald shafts 24. The frame 9 is driven from below by bell crank levers 46 and a link 47 from a cam 48 having a groove 49. A shaft 52 carrying the cam 48 is driven from the main shaft 5.

Intermediate struts 59 connecting the longitudinal members 41, 42 extend parallel to the end struts 43. They are non-detachably connected to the members 41, 42, for

example they may be welded thereto. Standard heald shafts 24 extend parallel to the longitudinal members 41, 42 and on them are threaded the standard healds 44 which have eyes through which the warp threads pass. The half heald or doup, to be described in further detail in conjunction with FIGS. 3 to 6, includes a doup shaft 71 which is suspended from a plurality of nylon bands 33, connected at their upper ends to tension springs 64. These springs are anchored at their upper ends to a spring housing 23 which is fixed with reference to the side frames 1 and 2 of the loom. Hooks 87 at the lower ends of the bands 33 and fixed in position relative to the doup shaft 71 serve by engagement with the heald shafts 24 to drive the doup shaft 71 down in a reciprocating motion against the upward resilient stress of the springs 64.

The heald frames 9 are guided in their vertical motion between pairs of fixed vertical members affixed to the loom frame. Each such pair of vertical members comprises a member 27 and a member 27a, the member 27a extending down from a fixed support at 22 (FIG. 3) to a point terminating below the lower limit of travel of the upper heald frame member 42 and above the upper limit of travel of the doup shaft 71.

FIGURE 3 shows a guide 22 for the heald frames 9 in greater detail. Two frames 9 and 9 are shown. The top longitudinal members 42, 42' and the ends struts 43, 43 of each frame are adapted to move up and down between guide plates 27, 27a which are fastened to a column 62. The plate 27a is somewhat shorter at the bottom than the plates 27 for reasons to be indicated below. The column 62 is rigidly connected to the loom side frame 1 or 2.

Near the plates 27 is the spring housing 23 which contains a tension spring 64. At the lower end of the spring 64, at 25, a nylon band 33, 33 to be described in detail hereinbelow is suspended; the band passes between the longitudinal members 42, 42' and between the standard heald shafts 24, 24 and is connected at the bottom to a doup shaft 71 (FIGURE 4) for the half healds or doups.

As will be apparent from FIGURE 4, standard healds 73, 73 with suspension eyes 72 are threaded on the standard heald shafts 24, 24'. The frames 9, 9' shown in FIGURE 4 carry the standard healds while on the doup shaft 71 are threaded half healds or doups 74 by means of suspension eyes 75. Each standard heald 73, 7 3, which is cranked-at 77 and 78, consists of two thin flat steel strips, one behind the other in the view of FIG. 4 and connected together by a single spot weld 76, 76'. FIG- URE 4 shows only one of the flat steel strips, namely the one situated closer to the reader; the other is situated behind it and is therefore concealed from the reader. Each doup 74 is fitted as illustrated, with its arm 74a between the two flat steel strips of the standard heald 73 and its arm 74b between the two fiat strips of the standard heald 73', and slidable therein. At its free end each doup 74 has an eye 79 through which passes the crossing warp thread 81. The ground warp thread 82 passes between the two standard healds 73, 73 and in the position shown in FIGURE 4 is situated in a gap 66 between the standard heald 73' and the arm 74b of the doup.

The lower ends of the bands 33, 33 are clamped by rivets 83 between three plates 84, 85, 86. In these plates is also fastened a nylon double hook 87, the hook ends 88, 89 of which project through openings 91 in the plates 84, 85. The middle plate 86, which extends upwards much further but which is shorter at the bottom than the plates 84, 85, also has an opening 92 for secure holding of the hook 87. While the middle plate 86 terminates at 93 at the bottom, the two outer plates 84, 85 continue downwards in the form of relatively narrow fingers 94, '95 which as seen in FIGURE are wedge-shaped at their lower ends 65 and press resiliently against one another. Between the fingers 94, 95 the doup shaft 71 is inserted from below and is prevented from slipping out by shoulders 96 of the fingers.

The parts shown in FIGURE 4, i.e. the left-hand heald frame 9 with the standard healds 73, the right-hand heald frame 9 with the standard healds 73', the doup shaft 71 which is suspended between the two frames with the doups 74, together form an assembly of standards and doups for gauze weaves. The double hook 87 forms a gauze weave yoke by means of which the doup shaft 71 with the doups 74 are moved.

The mode of operation is as follows. In the position of the parts shown in FIGURE 4, the heald frame 9 is moving into the lower shed and is below the closed shed position. The standard heald shaft 24 has struck the left-hand hook 88 of the gauze weave yoke 87 and is driving the yoke together with the doup shaft 71 down against the action of the spring 64, which tends to pull the doup shaft upwards. The force of the spring 64 is overcome by the standard heald shaft 24 meeting the yoke 87.

In the first half of the downward travel of the frame 9 in which the stress exerted by the crossing thread 81 on the doup 74 is downward, the doup is driven downwardly, the clearances 98 and 99 (shown in exaggerated size for clarity in FIG. 4) being preserved and the bridge 97 being clear of the spot weld 76. At the same time the standard heald 73 is also pulled downwardly, by engagement of its lower end with the lower edge of the lower heald shaft 24 as indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the clearance 29 (FIG. 4) at the upper heald shaft 24 being preserved. As soon as the closed shed position is passed, the stress exerted by the crossing thread 81 on the doup 74 will be directed upwardly and this stress will then be taken up at the spot weld 76 by engagement of the bridge 97 therewith so that the spot weld will experience a slightly increased load. The play or clearance at 98 and 99 is substantially maintained so that the relatively long and thin half heald 74 (doup) will not be laterally deflected or bent as a result of the upwardly directed lateral stress of the crossing thread.

When the frame 9 has reached the lower shed position the-weft thread is inserted. The frame 9 is then again moved into the upper shed position, the yoke 87 remaining in contact with the standard heald shaft 24 as a result of the tension of the spring 64. The doup shaft 71 and the doup 74 also rise. The upward movement of the doup terminates, however, as soon as the standard heald shaft 24' of the heald frame 9', which moves down at the same time, meets the hook 89 of the gauze weave yoke. In the top position of the doup shaft 71 the ground thread 82 is below the eye 79 of the half heald and the crossing thread 81 is accordingly above it. On the subsequent renewed downward movement of the doup shaft 71 and the doup 74 as a result of the downward movement of the frame 9' the crossing thread 81 also moves down and the ground thread 82 moves into the gap which is formed between the standard heald 73 and the arm 74a of the doup and which corresponds to the gap 66 illustrated between the arm 74b and the standard heald 73'.

In every case, the yoke 87 is subjected to the action of one of the standard heald shafts 24, 24' so early that the welds 76, 76 have to take only the tension of the crossing thread 81, even in the second half of the downward movement, and not the much greater tensional force of the spring 64. The force of the spring 64 may theerfore be selected much less exactly than would otherwise be necessary; thus, the spring may be somewhat stronger than would otherwise be the case because strong parts, namely the shafts 24, 24', produce the downward movement of the doup shaft by way of the yoke 87 which is also a strong element. If the downward movement of the doup shaft 74 were produced solely by one of the welds 76, 76 meeting the bridge 97, these welds would alone have to take all the relatively considerable force of the spring 64 and there would be a danger of their being broken so that the standard and doup could no longer perform its task.

In a modified embodiment (not illustrated), instead of the double hook 87 .a transverse member is used as a gauze weave yoke and its free ends are not constructed in the form of a hook. Apart from the standard healds 73, 73 intended for the production of the gauze weaves, there may also be disposed in the frames 9, 9 standard healds for lifting or lowering warp threads to produce non-gauze weaves if the Weave specification so permits.

In a further embodiment (not illustrated) the two eyes 75 of the doup arms 74a, 74b are threaded onto two parallel doup shafts both suspended from the band 33, 33' and drawn upwards by the spring. The two doup shafts are, however, still between the standard heald shafts 24, 24. The doups can therefore in each case be threaded onto the standard heald shafts 24, 24 and the doup shaft 71 (or the two doup shafts corresponding thereto) simultaneously without it being necessary to remove the intermediate struts 59 (FIGURE 2).

Instead of the band 33, 33' some other tension means may be used for the doup shaft 71, for example a rod or a bar. Alternatively, the band could be of resilient material, for example rubber, in which case the spring 64 may be dispensed with if desired so that the rubber band itself becomes the force-storage means and performs the functions both of the band and of the spring. In other embodiments the doup tension means may pass between the bottom longitudinal members 41 of two adjacent heald frames and be secured to the loom frame beneath the heald frames with the interposition of a spring. Instead of a spring, some other force-storage means may be used, for example a weight, by means of which the doup shaft together with the doups are continually pulled in the upward or downward direction.

It is of course possible to use heald frames with detachable intermediate struts, but it is not necessary to remove such struts for threading the standards and doups onto the shafts, because during this operation the standards and doups can be pushed past the intermediate struts of the heald frames, the doup being threaded onto the doup shaft or shafts situated between the standard heald shafts. In a further embodiment only a few, or even only one, standard and doup is used. This may be connected directly to the yoke 87 without a doup shaft 71 and be moved by the said yoke.

The yoke 87 may be subjected to the action of some other suitable parts of the heald frames 9, 9', for example by the longitudinal members 42, 42', provided that these members extend down near the two end struts 43 (FIG- URE 2) to the level of the top shafts 24 or are situated even lower than these.

The invention may also be applied to looms other than gripper shuttle looms, for example to automatic looms.

The spring housings 23 may be disposed on the associated guide 22 or on some other fixed part of the loom. If desired, another housing or a plurality of housings for additional tension springs may be disposed between the two spring housings 23 in FIGURE 1, to pull the doup shaft 71 upwards, depending on whether this is necessary in view of the length of the doup shaft or whether only the two spring housings 23 shown at the sides of the cloth in FIGURE 1 are sufiicient.

I claim:

1. A gauze weave mechanism for a loom comprising two standard healds carried on adjacent shafts, means to reciprocate said shafts, a doup disposed between said healds, a doup shaft for support of said doup, a gauze yoke coupled to said doup shaft and engageable by said first-named shafts, a spring, and a tensile member disposed between said healds and coupled between said yoke and spring, said yoke including two projections extending each into the path of reciprocation of one of said adjacent shafts and said tensile member comprising a band folded with the ends thereof adjacent each other and with said spring engaging the band in the bight thereof, said mechanism further including three plates fastened parallel to each other to the free ends of said band with one of said plates between said ends and the other two of said plates outside said ends, said other two plates engaging said doup shaft between them.

2. A gauze weave mechanism according to claim 1 in which said one of said plates is shorter than the others and in which said other two plates engage said doup shaft beyond the end of said one plate and resiliently press against each other beyond said doup shaft.

3. A ga-uze mechanism for a loom comprising means defining two closely spaced parallel slots for the accommodation of heald frames, two heald frames, one in each of said slots, two healds, two heald shafts, one in each of said slots on a separate one of said frames and a separate one supporting a separate one of said healds, a doup, a gauze weave yoke coupled to said doup and engageable by each of said shafts, resilient force storage means anchored at one end to a point fixed with reference to said slot-defining means, and a tensile member disposed between said shafts and coupled between said yoke and the other end of said force storage means, said tensile member being thinner than the said heald frames and being thinner than the minimum spacing of said shafts as defined by said slot-defining means.

4. A gauze mechanism for a loom comprising means defining two closely adjacent parallel slots for the accommodation of heald frames, two heald frames, one in each of said slots, means to reciprocate said heald frames, two healds, two heald shafts, one in each of said slots on 'a separate one of said frames, and each supporting a separate one of said healds, a doup, a doup shaft for support of said doup, a gauze weave yoke coupled to said doup shaft and engageable by each of said heald shafts, resilient force storage means anchored at one end to a point fixed with reference to said slot-defining means, and a tensile member disposed between said heald shafts and coupled between said yoke and the other end of said storage means, said tensile member and doup shaft being thinner than said heald frames and thinner than the minimum spacing of said heald shafts as defined by said slot-defining means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner. MERVIN STEIN, Examiner.

H. S. JAUDON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A GAUZE WEAVE MECHANISM FOR A LOOM COMPRISING TWO STANDARY HEALDS CARRIES AND ADJACENT SHAFTS, MEANS TO RECIPROCATE SAID SHAFT, A DOUP DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID HEALDS, A DOUP SHAFT FOR SUPPORT OF SAID DOUP, A GAUZE YOKE COUPLED TO SAID DOUP SHAFT AND ENGAGEABLE BY SAID FIRST-NAMED SHAFTS, A SPRING, AND A TENSILE MEMBER DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID HEALDS AND COUPLED BETWEEN SAID YOKE AND SPEING, SAID YOKE INCLUDING TWO PROJECTIONG EXTENDING EACH INTO THE PATH OF RECIPROCATION OF ONE OF SAID ADJACENT SHAFTS AND SAID TENSILE MEMBER COMPRISING A BAND FOLDED WITH THE ENDS THEREOF ADAJCENT EACH OTHER AND WITH 